Re Agreement

RNS Number : 0717L

Stem Cell Sciences plc

05 January 2009

 



Press Release 

Stem Cell Sciences signs further licence agreement for stem cell technology with major pharmaceutical COMPANY

("Stem Cell Sciences", "SCS", "the Company")

5th January 2009

Stem Cell Sciences plc (AIM:STEM, ASX:STC), a company focused on the commercialisation of stem cells and stem cell technologies, is pleased to announce the signing of a further licence to its IRES technology. The undisclosed licensee is a major research-based international pharmaceutical company in the top 20 by market capitalisation and annual sales and it will use the technology in its own research and development activities. Financial terms are not disclosed for this fully paid-up licence, which was signed during the Christmas holiday period. This follows the recent signing of an IRES licence in November 2008 with a European company that provides genetically modified rat and mouse models for medical and pharmaceutical research for $750,000 over the next six years.

SCS' IRES (Internal Ribosome Entry Site) technology enables researchers to monitor the activity of a particular gene of interest in living cells or tissues without blocking the normal function of the gene. In particular, IRES is important for evaluating the success of gene knock-outs or knock-ins in stem cells, which is crucial for the successful creation of transgenic mouse and rat disease models.

Dr Alastair Riddell CEO commented "We are delighted that our more robust approach to seeking licences to our intellectual property in the stem cell field is beginning to pay off. We expect to be making further similar announcements over the coming months."

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Stem Cell Sciences plc (United Kingdom)

Alastair Riddell, CEO

Giorgio Reggiani, CFO

[phone]

Stem Cell Sciences pty ltd (Australia)

Paul Bello, Operations Manager

[phone]

Citigate Dewe Rogerson (UK)

Mark Swallow / Amber Bielecka / Emma Palmer Foster

[phone]

Talk Biotech (Australia)

Fay Weston, Director

[phone]

Daniel Stewart & Company (NOMAD to SCS, UK)

Simon Leathers / Simon Starr

[phone]

About Stem Cell Sciences plc

Stem Cell Sciences (SCS) is an international research and development company focusing on the commercial application of stem cell biology technologies for drug discovery and regenerative medicine research. Stem Cell Sciences is now focussing on building revenues through the sale of products, collaborative research and licensing deals with international biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

Stem Cell Sciences has a substantial portfolio of patents and patent applications in both adult and embryonic stem cell fields. The Company has been active in the stem cell research field since 1994, principally focused on technologies to grow, differentiate, and purify adult and embryonic stem cells. These include technologies to permit the generation of highly purified stem cells and their differentiated progeny (specialised tissue cell types) for use in genetic, pharmacological and toxicological screens. Moreover, these technologies may be able to provide pure populations of appropriate cell types for transplantation therapies in the future.

The Company has its main research base and headquarters in Cambridge, UK with a second research base in Monash near Melbourne, Australia and a business development office in San Francisco, USA.

For further information on the company please visit:  www.stemcellsciences.com.

 

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